In many surgical procedures, specimens are removed from a body and are collected so that they may be later analyzed. An example of such a specimen is a polyp. A polyp is an abnormal growth projecting from the wall of a body cavity. In the human body, polyps typically occur in the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the colon and rectum, but also in the nose, throat, and bladder.
Polyps may be precursors to cancers or may actually contain cancers. For this reason, once discovered, polyps are typically resected through a procedure known as a polypectomy. During the procedure, a polyp is detached from the cavity wall and extracted for subsequent examination, commonly using suction. Typically, the suction force is applied through an endoscope or other instrument that is fluidically coupled to a collection tank.
To separate a resected polyp from other material aspirated from the body, a polyp trap is often used. In some examples, the polyp traps are single-chamber traps that have inlet and outlet ports that are in axial alignment with the suction line. Conventionally, upon collecting a specimen in such trap, a user must remove the specimen prior to collecting another specimen, requiring disassembly of the trap and disconnection from the suction line, thereby causing a delay in the procedure. Polyp traps that include multiple chambers also are known. Some such polyp traps typically include a rotatable cap that allows a user to selectively deposit a specimen in various ones of the multiple chambers. Even for these traps, once all of the chambers have been filled with specimens, the polypectomy procedure must be paused to remove the specimens from the polyp trap or possibly to replace a portion of the trap assembly.
To address the above, a specimen collector with multiple chambers is now provided. In one approach, the specimen collector includes a sleeve that comprises one or more interior walls defining a substantially hollow interior cavity. The sleeve further includes inlet and outlet ports in fluid communication with the interior cavity. The sleeve also includes a first side aperture and a second side aperture preferably disposed in substantial axial alignment with the first side aperture. The specimen collector also includes a tray that is slidable within the interior cavity and that is captive in ordinary use. The tray includes a first specimen well and a second specimen well each separately positionable to be in a suction pathway defined by the inlet and outlet ports. In use, suction is applied to the outlet port and the inlet port is placed into fluidic connection with bodily matter to thereby draw the bodily matter into the specimen collector. The first specimen well is positioned within the interior cavity of the sleeve and in the suction pathway, and the second specimen well is positioned out of the suction pathway and preferably exterior to the interior cavity of the sleeve. Upon collection of a first specimen in the first specimen well, the tray is moved to place the second well into the suction pathway, and the first well is placed out of the suction pathway and preferably exterior of the cavity. The first specimen then may be removed and a second specimen collected in the second well without stopping the procedure. Also provided in some embodiments are methods of use of the specimen collector and methods of manufacture of the specimen collector.
Further aspects of the disclosure are described herein and illustrated in the appended drawings.
References to “top” and other points of direction are for internal reference and are not intended to limit the orientation of the specimen collector in use. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other.